Barflies Bars has many years' experience of setting-up and operating bars in marquees. We work in harmony with a number of marquee suppliers, and are often recommended by them as a matter of course.
Setting up bar facilities in marquees, particularly those sited in remote locations, presents challenges that are not encountered at "permanent" venues. Electric and water supply, accessibility, space constraints and the great British weather are examples!
At Barflies Bars, we have been providing bars in marquees for many years, and have encountered, and overcome, these challenges in the past!
We work in tandem with a number of marquee suppliers, and are also listed by http://www.marqueehireguide.com, which, incidentally, is a valuable source of information on many services relevant to a variety of business and social functions.
For "special events", where attention to detail is paramount, it is often best to ask your marquee supplier to provide a bar structure, which he/she will ensure matches the overall decor, and enhances the appearance of the site. Failing this, Barflies Bars are able to provide collapsible bars, ranging in length from 6 to 60 feet.
We provide all the "back bar" tables and fittings, and all the cooling and dispense equipment to provide perfectly chilled draught and bottled products.
If there is no access to electricity, we can provide a generator to cater for our own needs, or link up to a larger generator, if one is to be on site.
We can supply rigid or disposable plastic glasses, meaning that we can operate without hot and cold running water. For "real" glass, we do need a water supply, but are usually able to come to an arrangement with caterers, who clearly will also require this facility.
One word of caution, where bars in marquees are concerned, is that many event organisers grossly under-estimate the amount of space needed to site a fully stocked bar!
There are some very tiny pub bars around, but please bear in mind that all their cooling equipment, gas bottles, barrels etc are sited remotely, usually in a cellar. We do not have that option, and everything has to be "hidden" behind the bar structure!
Apart from the width of the bar itself, we need tables at the back for spirits, glasses, till etc, and further space for coolers and barrels. Finally, for the bar to operate smoothly, we need room for our staff!
Obviously, the actual amount of space we require is dependent upon numbers, but a good deal of our equipment has to be on site, however many guests are expected.
As a rule of thumb, for 100 guests, allow bar space of at least 120 square feet (11 square metres).
If it is not possible to allocate sufficient bar space within the marquee itself, your marquee supplier can usually arrange a suitably-sized "annexe", accessible from within the main tentage.